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Sanae Ishida

A crafty little atelier in a grey city

To be Shiny

November 5, 2014

Last week, when I shared the Hudson pants, I was surprised by the number of people who commented on how harsh I was being about my (let's face it), um, strong calves and other body parts. Of course, I appreciated how kind and encouraging the commenters were being, so I've done some thinking about that since then, prompted also by a conversation I had with K a few days ago. Here's how the conversation went: K: Mama, when you were a kid, did you have certain characteristics that you thought you ... Read more

Filed in: gouache, illustration • by sanae • 29 Comments

Happy Friday + Randomness

October 31, 2014

Happy Friday! I'm dragging my feet on the girl-transforming-into-werewolf costume for K and my pleas for her to wear the ninja costume tonight are falling on deaf ears. I obviously need to re-evaluate who's the boss here. ************************* A random comment on the age-old game of tag by K: I'm not that into being "it" these days. I'm totally over it. ************************* Alright, I better see if I can muster the energy to focus on assembling faux fur...Have a great ... Read more

Filed in: gouache, illustration, watercolor • by sanae • 4 Comments

Happy Friday + Randomness

October 24, 2014

Happy Friday! This little illustration is totally random, but these little kimono girls make me happy. I hope you've had a wonderful week, and are gearing up for a fun weekend. I'm keeping it sweet and short today since a certain 8-year-old wants me to sew up a rather involved Halloween costume. ************************************* K on adolescence: Mama, I hope I'm the kind of teenager that likes her parents...I hear teenagers are really ... Read more

Filed in: gouache, illustration • by sanae • 12 Comments

Happy Friday + Randomness

October 10, 2014

Happy Friday! "Mama?" K asked the other day, "How is it that I have both your DNA and Daddy's DNA? I don't get it." I gulped. At her eight-year wellness check during the summer, our pediatrician warned me that the questions will start. Not MY little girl, I thought smugly, I still have all the time in the world. But here we are, just two months after the warning, and K has been peppering me with some variation of this question almost every day. So I ordered a book recommended by the ... Read more

Filed in: illustration, life, watercolor • by sanae • 24 Comments

2014 Fall Sewing Plans

October 8, 2014

It's like clockwork. The frenetic start of the school year eases into a predictable routine, the air tingles with promises of cozy sweater weather, and then, M or K comes home with a cold and BAM, I'm laid flat on my back, sniffling and coughing up a lung. Due to my wimpy immune system, even the mildest cold tends to hit me hard. I'm determined to not get sucked into the illness vortex this time (last year I was fighting one ailment after another from November to February), so I've been ... Read more

Filed in: black and white, illustration • by sanae • 14 Comments

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